Tags
Christmas tree, Geox, International Phonetic Alphabet, New Year, Russia, Russian Winter, Santa Claus, Snegurochka
You hate it at first, but then it grows on you somehow... My first Russian winter, two years ago, was awful – i was freezing whatever warm clothes i wore, i couldn’t walk on trodden snow, i hated it all! Mind you, i come from a country with Mediterranean climate where winters are mild and it hardly ever snows. I remember clearly a discussion from couple of years ago – on a forum for expats in Russia where “veterans” claimed they loved it – and us, the newbies, were posting one horror tale after another… I thought back then that the foreigners raving about Russian winter were downright insane, it was beyond me how could anyone like to be freezing several months in a row, to be incapable of walking any what faster than a tortoise (i dare you to try!) , to wear layers and layers of clothes… I did think them mad.
My third winter in Russia, believe it or not – i couldn’t wait for the snow to fall, i couldn’t wait for the real winter to start! I grew not only to love it – i became addicted to it! Ours back home is not really a winter!
The first snowfall this year was heavy – and all my friends and family were concerned how i am doing here, my mother suggested i don’t go out for several days… The very first evening i went to the nearby park with a friend and i felt like a kid in the candy store! It’s wonderful, the feeling of the frost pinching your cheeks, the freshness of the air, the whiteness of the snow… It’s breathtaking indeed!
I used to look in disbelieve at Russian girls who wore no caps and gloves – and had only a teeny jacket on the top; my typical outfit during first winter here was the following: wool tights and leggings under the jeans; sweatshirt and wool pullover over the wool t-shirt (worn over a cotton one so to avoid skin rushes); thermally insulated long jacket, Geox boots for high snow (and an additional pair of wool socks over the wool thighs!); an ushanka / Trapper’s hat, long wool shawl and gloves… Needless to say, i resembled … a bear. I’d faint now if i wore half of those garments – they were long ago passed to the next countrymate of mine who arrived to Russia and was adapting – and she told me she too passed them forward; second winter in the row no one needs any of those.
That being said, the biggest holiday in Russia is still the New Year, Christmas – due previous communist longterm ban on it – has not yet gained the importance and popularity it has in the West; thus Christmas tree is called New Year’s tree, Santa Claus is Uncle Frost and he has a lovely granddaughter slash helper –Snegurochka (Снегу́рочка; IPA: snʲɪˈgurətɕkə), or The Snow Maiden:
Snow Maiden (1899) by Victor Vasnetsov.
It turned out that the pictures of the abandoned construction site were the last ones i took before the snow, here they are as from now on, until the spring, everything will be covered with dear to my heart “white blanket”.
Also, note the beginning of infamous “probki” – the rush hour which last forever -at Volgina street; a Russian blogger i love following wrote about it recently in the entry titled “Hopeless”.
All in one: funny facade of the “all-in-one” mall on my street: business center, groceries, pharmacy, internet cafe and whatnot:
Abandoned construction site turned urban graffiti gallery, near Kaluzhskaya metro:
And, TADA – the photos of first “serious” snow of this winter:
In previous entry i posted about great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin; here is his amazing poem “Winter morning” in English translation (from: russianlegacy.com – sadly the translator is not credited), enjoy!
Cold frost and sunshine: day of wonder!
But you, my friend, are still in slumber –
Wake up, my beauty, time belies:
You dormant eyes, I beg you, broaden
Toward the northerly Aurora,
As though a northern star arise!
Recall last night, the snow was whirling,
Across the sky, the haze was twirling,
The moon, as though a pale dye,
Emerged with yellow through faint clouds.
And there you sat, immersed in doubts,
And now, – just take a look outside:
The snow below the bluish skies,
Like a majestic carpet lies,
And in the light of day it shimmers.
The woods are dusky. Through the frost
The greenish fir-trees are exposed;
And under ice, a river glitters.
The room is lit with amber light.
And bursting, popping in delight
Hot stove still rattles in a fray.
While it is nice to hear its clatter,
Perhaps, we should command to saddle
A fervent mare into the sleight?
And sliding on the morning snow
Dear friend, we’ll let our worries go,
And with the zealous mare we’ll flee.
We’ll visit empty ranges, thence,
The woods, which used to be so dense
And then the shore, so dear to me.
A.S. Pushkin (1799-1837)
That’s so great that you like it now! Funny how you can adapt to a different area after time passes.
Your photos are so interesting and pretty! My favorite part of your posts 🙂
Thank you so much, Kristin! I was shy to post the pictures at first because mine are taken with automatic camera – and most of the peeps here are pro’s; but it’s them personally who encouraged me to continue taking and posting pics, albeit i am proudly&forever an amateur in it 😉
It doesn’t matter what kind of camera you have. You do a wonderful job of capturing emotional photos. (PS- everything on my blog was taken with my phone camera!)
Thank you so much for the kind words, Kristin! I love the pictures you take, so imaginative and colorful!
I’m in the Deep South of the U.S., and we don’t really have much of a winter here either. I’m sure I would be bundled like a bear if I were to come to Russia. I have a friend who is originally from Canada who moved to Australia and had the opposite problem – she had to adjust to the heat. 🙂
I think I would love a ban on Christmas here (at least the commercial part of it); I love the way Russians view Santa as “Uncle Frost” and the inclusion of his granddaughter the Snow Maiden.
I so enjoy your posts, poems and pictures!
I also think you’d love it during the Holiday season here, it’s really special! My English language professor at Diplomatic Academy was from Texas (loved her, she was my favorite ;)) and she always said how Montenegro and US south were very much alike, in climate, mentality – and even partially in landscape, hence, i am a fan, i feel i’d be like at home there! (In NYC i felt alienated – i loved it, but i could never live there, it’s too different from everything i am used to.) I love your blog too and enjoyed it immensely, i’ve reposted your article on QoS for the fb Tarot Community, it’s genius!
So interesting to learn about the emphasis on the New Year rather than Christmas — including learning about Uncle Frost and The Snow Maiden!
Kenley
Thank you so much, Kenley!
Having just moved from a very cold climate to the tropics I know it takes some time to get used to the big changes in weather. I’m really glad you’re enjoying the snow and cold this year!;) I was actually glad to leave the cold (and I’ve always loved it until this year when it was particularly bitter)
I love your pictures – wonderful 😀
Thank you, dear Dianne! You are right – it is challenging at first, albeit wonderful… as long as it doesn’t go to the extreme; last winter in Montenegro we had the harshest winter in recorded history, the gvmnt announced :emergency situation”, it was awful! So, right – everything in moderation – and if possible where we expect it lol! (Back home peeps were lost – no one had clothes/shoes for such weather, there were power shortages – not to mention that we don’t have central heating so it was really tough! Good that it happens once in , like, 100 years! ;))
Does the metaphorical tightrope of life we all walk on ever really become wider?
I think that just our variables of experience do & that is what makes it at times easier to balance… no change ever in the width of the tightrope.
So now I have a vision of you walking on it across the snow below dressed up like a bear moving at tortoise pace LOL. 🙂 (albeit… a beautiful bear with a beautiful Christmas message) thankyou for it 🙂
Dear Jim – an utterly CLUMSY & grumpy bear i must tell you lolol! It’s a pity i haven’t made any videos back then – it was too funny! I’d always walk close to the wall or fence, trying to hold it with one hand while making ant-steps forward lolol (and with all those garments, it wasn’t an easy task – i think that together with the coat and the boots i had over 6kg of clothes on me! :D)
Love the snow maiden!
Winter morning is so appropriate for this lovely post. Your memories of snow, and moving into the first serious snow with beautiful pictures of the luscious carpet of snow is brilliant! The 2nd to the bottom picture is magnificent with the tree and glistening snow! Priceless my dear friend. Snow costs nothing and is gorgeous art!
Stay warm!
Thank you so much, dear Judy! What a positive and uplifting comment! Thank you once again!
Your’e completely right!This is my second winter in Moscow, but before I was living in Latvia, so now I miss REAL winter with REAL snow and really freezing but shiny days of January and February!! I can’t wait…I just hate this pre-winter weather!
I’m coming back home for Christmas and I’m from Spain…so I guess I’ll be back to summertime 😀 haha!
Right, when going home to our countries (i am from Montenegro), after Russia – it does feel like summer there lol! Merry Christmas!
I was obliged to make a comment under the rules of freshly press yourself. I would have regretted if I had not read your wonderful experience with Russian snow. My first experience with mild snow was in Tokyo and I enjoyed it. The Philippines, where I live, has a mediteranean weather and any kind of snow is always a new experience I would love. Thank you for this snowy post 🙂
Thank you so much for commenting, Maxim! Me too, i was really lucky with Truth and Cake, found many interesting entries that way! Glad you liked the post – and, once again, thank you for stopping by!
YOUR DESCRIPTION OF A YOUNG BEAUTY REMINDS OF WHAT KEATS WROTE IN HIS POEM ‘ EVE OF ST.AGNES’ A LINE OF WHICH READS AS ‘AS IF A ROSE SHOULD SHUT AND BE A BUD AGAIN’
Thank you so much for the great comment, Neel! I love Keats’ poem!
” Ah, bitter chill it was!
The owl, for all his feathers, was a-cold…”
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